Karting Questionnaire

['The Gaffer']

Ken has asked us to fill out a brief questionnaire based on our recent endurance karting event.
We have been asked to provide some "constructive criticism" of the event to Julian the owner of M4 Karting and would also like to ask you which of the 2 venues you preferred. 

The result will help make decisions on future club events and also give valuable feedback to M4 Karting.

Please can you answer to the following,
What was your opinion of: -

1. The location
2. The facilities
3. Track layout
4. Driving standards
5. Marshalling/Management of the Event
6. Where would you like to see next years event held, The Raceway or M4 Karting?

Please be honest but polite with your answers.

[Daley Down Under]

Phil,

Not used Raceway but have used other kart circuits.  Answers as follows:

1.  Location was easy to get to and only 22 mls from Almondsbury Interchange.
2.  Facilities were good.
3.  Track layout was one of the best indoor layouts.
4.  Driving standards were better than some events.  Bit of bumping and overtaking under yellows - otherwise excellent.
5.  Marshalling and management were very good.  Remember David H only got black flagged twice so they are probably a bit lenient.
6.  Happy with M4 Karting next year.

Adrian

['The Gaffer']

1. The location
- No problem

2. The facilities
- Took 3 attempts to find right size XL suit, one was even torn around the ass!! Member of staff kindly came to my aid.
- By the end of the evening I was coughing a lot, I think due to exhaust fumes.
- Nowhere to buy a hot snack later in the evening.
- No seats anywhere.
- Needed PA system, couldent hear a thing marshalls were saying before event.
- Good karts

3. Track layout
- Needed more sweeping turns rather than really tight ones, I realise space is limited though.

4. Driving standards
- Some very selfish and aggressive driving, (EDIT, By a minority) I accept this is racing, but at an event like this there are beginers out there too. Also fine until it spills off the track. There was no fast response by marshalls to a potentially violent incident on the evening.

5. Marshalling/Management of the Event
- Freindly and helpful.

6. Where would you like to see next years event held, The Raceway or M4 Karting?
- The Raceway, although I thought the karts were better at M4

[robp]

Really enjoyed the evening and nice to have a chat with a few more people.   Good track and would certainly go back again.  Often have a couple of corporate events at Avonmouth each year but would recommend M4 as an alternative.

1. The location: Well located, easy to find just off the motorway.
2. The facilities: Fairly basic but fine as far as I'm concerned.  Couldn't all get in the car park but plenty of room on the road.  Bit nippy inside when we arrived but I was nice and warm after a go on the track!  Go to keep the doors open for the fumes.  Karts were fine.
3. Track layout: Missed the flyover section from Avonmouth but actually pretty good.  Less overtaking opportunities perhaps but maybe I wasn't trying hard enough!
4. Driving standards: Fine. Bit of bumping but that's part of the fun.  Big difference in abilities of people attending.
5. Marshalling/Management of the Event.  Fairly lenient marshalling, noticed a bit of overtaking on yellow.  Should just switch on the limiter and be done with it (great for backfires too!).  Less black flags than I expected.  Agree with Phil, I couldn't hear the briefing.  Also, not sure what I was supposed to do when we arrived.  Generally, fairly informal which I liked.
6. Where would you like to see next years event held, The Raceway or M4 Karting?  Happy with either venue; both good.

[David H]

Location, not as near as raceway for me but still easy to get to.
Facilities, seemed good but could have done with a burger for the drive home....
Track layout was challenging, liked it. The karts seemd good and got better as they got warmer and lighter.
Driving standards were sometimes bumpy but everyone was very friendly and a good sport.
Marshalling. Good bunch. Its not always clear out there but the decisions balanced out over the evening. They were quite fair with the flags.

happy with venue

[Speedy J]

Location, was fine but further than raceway
Facilities, needed lighting in carpark and maybe somwhere to sit down inside. A bit fumey inside. Need sound system to hear. Helmet and suit nice and clean. Good karts.
Track layout, lots of tight turns but missed the wider turns and flyover at the raceway.
Driving standards, I think some people drove like they owned the place and if you got in their way thay would bump you quite hard. I'm only little.
Marshalling, quite hard to get anyones attention to adjust pedals for me, otherwise good apart from being bumped on yellow flag.

Prefer the Raceway. Better atmosphere somehow.

[YellaBelly]

Not been to the raceway, I went to the track at Wroughton a couple of times and it was goosd, but I think this one was a little more challenging somehow and had a good overall feel.

Marshalling was pretty consistent, but as already said there were some overtakings which went 'unnoticed' during yellows. I think it would have been better just to have a sinlge marshall in control of the 'button' so all karts were restricted under yellow so less possibility of overtaking under the flags.

Agree with the comments from Phil about the smoke, I felt a bit wheezy afterwards so more ventilation would be better.

I also strongly agree about the different standards of driver and the 'professionals' giving no quarter to us novices, could have been a few nasty spills if someone was a little unlucky.

All in all a damn good night, and would happily go there again next time.

JB

[peetee]

Phil, I haven't been to the Raceway either, but would answer about M4 karting as follows;
1) Location good, easier and nearer for me than the raceway
2) Facilities were ok, blokes toilets could have been cleaner, could have done with more live info screens. Good karts
3) Track layout was good, challenging, didn't like the very slow hairpin though
4) Driving standards were generally good, quite a lot of contact and they didn't pick up on people overtaking under waved yellow flags
5) Very good marshalling and management, friendly bunch
6) Never been to Raceway, but would happily go back to M4, so it gets my vote

[drivemojo]

What was your opinion of: -

1. The location
Never been to the raceway but have been Gloucester and Warrington tracks. M4 is the easiest to get to by far.

2. The facilities
As good as if not better than gloucester. Didn't try the food though. I was hungry at the end of the event so I had to 'make do' with a pack of crisps from the vending machines
Karts all seemed fine - not any 'quick' karts compared to the others. 

3. Track layout
Good - re the track itself, it seemed far too slippy when going off the *cough* racing line *cough* not just a tyre warming issue. Just a comparison to gloucester where there seems to be 3 laps and grip.

4. Driving standards
Some amazing quality. Kart 6 got pretty aggro with being stuck behind me and kept on nudging harder and harder to an eventual penalty so good quality but got to learn when to quit.

5. Marshalling/Management of the Event
Very well managed - marshalling does leave some questions regarding yellow flags though.
Many drivers kept on gunning it and so I personally kept my foot down to keep up with them - why not, instead of having the yellow flag, just press the button to kill the engine power and wave ONE yellow flag in the area where the accident is?

Re: bumping warnings - ok, I got a warning but i'm not bitter about it. Only issue is, what can you do when you have a kart in front and a kart behind you? If i brake in anticipating the guy in front to brake I get the guy behind me hit me and then i hit the guy in front. might as well keep the power down and hit the guy in front anyway.
Anyway, basically I didn't know how many warnings for bumping I could get before getting a penalty - maybe something to add to the briefing?

Penalties (black&white and black flag) Personally I feel these were not timed very well - although it was very funny to watch one guy getting more and more pissed off that he was in to serve a 30 second penalty but stayed in for about 2 mins because no one had noticed him come into the pits.

Good lenient marshalling though - more interested in letting us race and get on with karting which is what it is all about. Happy days.

6. Where would you like to see next years event held, The Raceway or M4 Karting?
Never been the Raceway so I cannot answer this one really. M4 was good so I would happily go again.